


The Heart Shaped Bell

by Cornerofmadness



Series: Boston [7]
Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: BDSM, Collars, Cuffs, Dominatrix, F/M, Malcolm Bright & Dani Powell Friendship, Malcolm Bright Gets a Hug, Riding Crops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:07:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27735817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cornerofmadness/pseuds/Cornerofmadness
Summary: Dani never imagined she’d be in this position, to have someone at her feet, waiting and wanting a little pain. Will she hate this or will she like it? Dani isn’t sure but she wants to find out.
Relationships: Malcolm Bright/Dani Powell
Series: Boston [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1642066
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22
Collections: Bite Sized Bits of Fic from 2020





	The Heart Shaped Bell

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TourmalineQueen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TourmalineQueen/gifts).



> **Notes:** Written for classics_lover for the prompt any, any, aged vellum. This got much longer than expected. It is in my Boston series universe, no need to read the others as it’s stand-alone (but enjoy if you do). In _If These Scars Could Speak_ , Dani learns Bright is a submissive, using the feel-good chemistry from it as a form of mood elevation and had an interest in her helping him in that regard.

In an instant, Dani understood part of the appeal of bondage. She hadn’t been able to resist the idea of dominating Bright since he planted the notion in her head, especially if all the feel-good neurotransmitters and hormones he talked about improved things for him mentally. He deserved to feel good especially after all he’d been through. He needed someone he trusted holding his whip, and Dani doubted he trusted many more than her.

Looking at him sprawled on the bed trying to get his cuffs freed from their tethers, Dani was glad she had that trust. With his red collar around his neck, the little heart-shaped bell jingling and the contrast his black boxer-briefs made against the off-white sheets, Bright captured her imagination. She had expected tonight to be awkward with a steep learning curve. She hadn’t expected the rush of lust. She’d gone into this venture with the idea it was almost a business relationship because it more or less was. They weren’t lovers. Bright wasn’t expecting that from her nor did she think that was a step they were ready for. She was here to give him something else he needed; some release and some care. Still, seeing him in this light twisted the dynamic on its head. Him, even in this minimal bondage gear, stoked an interest Dani hadn’t realized she had.

He paused in his fight with the cuffs, feeling her gaze on him. He smiled. “What?” Already his voice was husky, changing with his anticipation. 

“Just thinking you look good against those boring sheets.”

He pouted, stroking the cotton. “Not boring. It’s Aged Vellum.”

“He deserves an extra swat just for knowing that his sheets have a color scheme.”

Dani jumped. She had nearly forgotten her trainer was still in the room. All she had known about bondage and domination she had heard from Bright, a few cases when she was on vice and seeing it go very wrong in Homicide. She knew that she could hurt him by accident, and she had no clue what signs to look for if he was in sub space, non-verbal and in trouble. To that end, she asked Bright to find her someone to help teach her those things, which was one of the most surreal and vaguely embarrassing experiences of her life. Not quite as bad as Mom trying to do the sex talk but close.

To her shock, the tutor Bright had come up with was Nico Stavros. She thought he lost his mind. He had asked Nico for recommendations for a female dom to help teach Dani the ropes since if Bright had known any, he wouldn’t have needed Dani for this. Nico had volunteered, and it crossed Dani’s mind that Nico had ulterior motives. He and a friend of his, a dominatrix with the unlikely name of Lacey, had stepped up to the plate, and Bright said everything Nico taught her was real and not designed as a little ‘let’s hurt Bright’ payback. After they started, it occurred to Dani Nico was most likely cultivating a very wealthy client, which was his usual modus operandi anyhow. Besides, he knew Bright was handy with an axe if crossed.

There had been more to learn than Dani expected. Where she could hit safely versus what would be dangerous, what sprite space looked like and how to handle it, soft limits versus edging. She decided she was in no way ready for edge play so whips were out. She didn’t want to cut Bright, and from his input, he wasn’t a huge fan of that. She had his safe word – licorice and she didn’t want to think too hard on that – and knew what to look for now if he was so far out into sub space he couldn’t verbalize. She had few doubts that she couldn’t handle him if he slipped into primal space and got violent. She’d knocked his butt out once before, she could do it again. There was a dizzying array of toys and each made their own sounds and left their own marks and she needed to learn what appealed to her and to Bright.

The agreement was if there was something either of them wanted to try they would with the caveat of if one of them didn’t like afterward it was discarded. Nico and Lacey had walked her through it all and Nico had promised to help her set the first scene. Dani had been surprised Bright had gone along with that especially since they were in his loft but he’d been shockingly eager. He probably thought it was the only way she’d agree to this.

“And leave those, Bright. I brought you a little something.” Nico pulled something out of the bag he carried. It was leather strap that had several big D-rings on it and two red leather hand cuffs that lashed to it. “If you want to work the lower body you can strap his arms to this. If not, you can lash the cuffs to something and play with his shoulders.”

“Do you like it, Bright?” Dani asked. That was another part of the deal. If he said no to a toy, that was fine. Dani thought it only reasonable since he was the one who’d be in pain. He nodded, scooting off the bed.

“Perfect. I’ll start a tab for you.” Nico smirked, and then gestured to the blanket and pillows Dani had on the floor near the fireplace. He had already checked out her aftercare kit and considered it adequate. “You’ve got this, Powell.” 

“I think so.” She pointed to the pillows. “You, over there. I’ll walk Stavros out.”

Malcolm grinned so mischievously Dani assumed he was starting out in sprite space but then again, when wasn’t he a brat? She let Nico out with a thank you and locked the door. They had chosen tonight because Gil had mentioned taking Jessica out. The last thing they wanted was a surprise visit from Bright’s mom who had a habit of letting herself in.

Malcolm knelt on the blanket, a match to his ‘aged vellum’ sheets and was securing some ties of particularly hideous patterns to the fire andirons. She took that to mean he wanted to at least start with some shoulder work.

“Those are the ugliest ties I’ve never seen you wear.”

He chuckled, smirking over his shoulder at her. “I have rich relatives with crap taste. These ties always end up in the toy box. Have you picked out what you want to start with?”

“Not yet.” Dani knelt beside him. She ran her hand over the butter soft red leather around his neck. She rang the little heart bell. His chest heaved, and she got lost in how brilliantly blue his eyes had become in his anticipation. Blue on black was more accurate, being more dilated pupil than anything. His breathing hitched as she took his hand and slipped the cuff around his wrist.

Many things about this new endeavor set her nerves jingling like his little bell. She had never purposely hurt someone before for pleasure. She knew now that it could give her the same endorphin rush as Bright – if she were into it, and if she wasn’t this might end up a one and done. She cared about Bright and even knowing he wanted this, Dani hesitated. Even though tonight wasn’t about sex, she knew he could be aroused by what was happening and was she really ready to see what? Was she ready to confront that the idea had already aroused her?

Looking into his eyes, feeling the leather against his skin, her arousal intensified. She loved how he looked in the red collar and the cuffs were the cherry on top. Dani shook her head slightly. “Would you like me to work the shoulders? I thought maybe since you’re working on alternative ways to tie yourself up.”

He nodded. “It seems like a safe place to start but if you’d rather start lower, I’m okay with Nico’s new harness. It has…possibilities.” His voice pitched low with that conclusion, and it kicked something primal in her.

Dani sucked air in deeply, trying to control her breathing and runaway libido. She knew what she wanted to get from his toy box. She tied him to the andirons and fetched herself a toy. The look of glee mixed with anticipation and lust on his face had her bounding back across the loft with the crop in hand. She had spotted it when he showed her his various toys. 

Fingering the leather heart at the end of the crop, Dani smiled down at him. “Does it leave heart-shaped bruises?”

“Yes,” he answered, his voice whiskey-soaked, and he tugged at his bonds.

“Perfect.” 

Dani scooped up one of the hideous ties, a radioactive houndstooth. “Do you want to keep an eye on me or can I blindfold you?”

Malcolm tilted his head back, giving his hair a little shake. “I trust you.”

Dani secured the tie around his eyes. Who made silk in such horrible colors? She skimmed her hands down to play with his collar again, making him moan softly. She backed away. She was straying too close to the sexual line and that wasn’t what she was supposed to be offering tonight. Maybe another night because now that idea had entered her brain, shooting warm arousal straight to her sweet spot.

She drew the heart teasingly across his shoulders. His skin twitched and he squirmed. She ran the heart down his biceps because he wiggled so pretty. Dani’s first swat to his shoulders was light because she still feared what it might do. She’d not actually hit him before, not even in the training sessions. It made a soft thud and Bright settled his knees deeper into the pillows. Dani struck him harder the second time. The crack against his skin, the instant reddening of his pale flesh, stirred something inside her.

She liked this. To her surprise, she actually liked it. She hit him again and then again. His moans fired that ember of delight in her. Dani worked his shoulders, watching him take the impact and struggle against his cuffs. She took off his blindfold because she needed to see his eyes. His head dropping back as she struck him, his throat straining against the red collar and his eyes cloudy from the heady natural cocktail of endorphins, adrenaline and oxytocin, Bright couldn’t make for a more arousing picture.

“More?” she asked.

“Please,” he replied, the word thick and almost garbled.

Dani worked the crop against his skin harder, adding another red heart to the crop growing over his shoulders. Finally, she set that aside and undid his arms from the andirons. Dani pulled him against her. “Ready to switch it up?”

He nodded and let her move him like a doll. She attached the new leather strap to the back of his collar and fastened the cuffs to it, momentarily throwing herself out of the scene. She flashbacked to cuffing him for real and dragging him to the station and it nearly killed her feel-good buzz. _This isn’t that_ , she reminded herself sternly, pushing Bright flat to the blanket. She put a pillow under his head so he’d be comfortable and gingerly stuffed one under his hips. He wasn’t sexually aroused but didn’t think her hands needed to be in that area for long.

 _Damn, he has a nice ass_! Dani brought the crop down on those perfectly rounded buttocks, delighted as he yanked on his bonds. The heart-shaped bell jingled again and did so with every strike she landed. If anyone had told her a tinny bell and someone grunting and groaning in pain would excite her, Dani would have laughed them but she got it now. She felt great but she also saw Bright had had enough even though he hadn’t said anything. Worried he might be non-verbal, floating free in sub space, Dani knelt back down with him, her lips near his ear.

“I think we’re done.”

He smiled, giving his head a little nod. Dani freed his hands from the strap on his back before removing the strap. She set it on the blanket and took off one of his cuffs. She rubbed his hand, her mouth going dry at the sight of the bruising on his wrist. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. It might be a step too far. She freed his other hand, giving it another rub before getting to her feet. She picked up the harness and folded the blanket around him. 

Dani put the crop and the harness in the toy box before going into the kitchen. She set the pan on the stove and put some full fat milk into it, turning it on low. She walked back to the fireplace to check on him. Bright had rolled onto his side but otherwise hadn’t moved. Dani squatted down. “Want to go to the couch?”

He nodded lazily, and she wasn’t entirely sure he understood her. She helped him to his feet, and he walked newborn deer unsteady to the couch, the blanket trailing behind him like the longest, silliest superhero cape. Dani settled him on the sofa, checked to be sure the milk wasn’t scalding and then jogged to the bathroom where he kept his arnica. Leaving the jar on the kitchen island, Dani checked the milk which had begun to slowly bubble. She put powdered chocolate which smelled earthy and rich into two mugs and poured in the milk. She whisked them up, slipped the arnica and several paper towels into her pocket before carrying the hot chocolate to the coffee table.

Strangely, in that moment, she felt odd being in her day clothes, like she should have had something special to wear for the occasion. Maybe next time because unless Bright hated how she handled this, there would be a next time. Dani sat next to him after emptying her pockets onto the table. Bright snuggled up next to her, his cheek resting against her shoulder. He let out a gusty sigh, content as a cat.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

“Was it okay?”

He made a noise deep in his leather-crowned throat. “Perfect.”

“I’m glad.” Dani picked up one of the chocolates and presented it to him. 

Bright sat up straighter but still kept in contact with her side. He drank and closed his eyes, still obviously completely blissed out. Dani had seen expressions like this but only in her days on vice. She remembered the nights in the clubs, higher than the Empire State building. Everyone wore that expression. Truthfully, she felt a lot like she had then, floaty, happy. Her own blood sang with adrenaline and endorphins. This had been wonderful.

When he downed most of his chocolate, Dani eased the blanket off from around his shoulders and she went to remove his collar. He put his hands on hers, shaking his head. Shrugging, she started rubbing arnica into the forming bruises. Some were heart shaped, others a bit more amorphous from being struck more than once. Dani tended to his shoulders and wrists. They hadn’t discussed if she should be treating his backside too, and she felt somehow embarrassed to do so. It was weird. She had seen him at his most vulnerable but wasn’t quite ready to see him naked.

“Do you want me to get your shirt?” she asked.

He nodded, struggling to his feet. 

“I’ll get it,” she said.

Bright merely pointed toward the bathroom. He collected the arnica and disappeared. Dani fetched his shirt, an amazingly soft brilliantly blue thing nearly the color of his eyes. She sat and waited for him, perched on the arm of the couch as she drank her own chocolate. Damn if it wasn’t good. He toddled back still looking only half aware of his surroundings. She helped him into his shirt.

“Good?” she asked.

“Wonderful,” he all but purred.

He lowered himself to the couch, patting the cushion next to him. When she sat with him again, Bright snuggled back up with her. This time he drew the blanket up over them both. Dani looped an arm around him after getting the TV remote. They had discussed what he liked afterwards. She hadn’t expected Lord of the Rings movies but she was cool with that. She turned it on, cuddling with him. She still wasn’t a hundred percent sure she’d know drop if she saw it. She hoped to hell she wasn’t going to experience it herself. 

Still, that was a future worry. She hoped this round of after care would help in that regard. Bright told her he might simply nod off on her and she was okay to go if she wanted. Dani didn’t. In the turmoil of the last few months, they had slept next to each other more than once. If he fell asleep against her on the couch mid-movie, no problem. If he eventually moved to the bed, she’d strap him in and curl up next to him. She wasn’t leaving him alone tonight and suspected he knew that.

Dani brushed a wayward strand of hair off his face, and he melted against her, a soft smile on his lips. Malcolm Bright relaxed and happy, how often had she’d seen _that_? Proud of herself that she helped him achieve this state, Dani gently worked open his collar. This time he let her, and she set it on the table. The silver heart gleamed under the lights. It made her smile.

Bright was right. Tonight had been perfect.


End file.
